For years, my question to advocates of corporate social responsibility was "why should corporations be treated differently from other citizens."  In the international context, the question was "why should foreign corporations be treated differently from local corporations?"  "Why impose supra-standard regulation on firms, just

In two recent statements, Judge Richard Posner, one of the fathers of law and economics, has seemed to reject the "rule of law."  See the Jeffrey Toobin piece in The New Yorker, commenting on Posner's recent piece in the Harvard Law Review: Of the 2004-05

AFP reports that a U.S. official has said that the GMO report will arrive next Wednesday.  But in keeping with Beckett's work, it will not really arrive.  Rather, it will be an interim report that will be distributed to the parties, with the results immediately leaked.  So,

The FT reported yesterday that the U.S. is asking for more information about Chinese enforcement, including criminal enforcement, and penalties, for intellectual property infringement.  The U.S. is threatening WTO litigation for non-compliance with this request.  The U.S. made its request under Art. 63.3 of TRIPS.

Jose Bove is advocating use of the WTO DSB by African states to attack the EU's agricultural policies. "African government leaders and heads of state have to attack the European Union in the tribunal of the World Trade Organization for the distortion and destruction of their local

It seems as though Davos is to host a mini-ministerial in parallel to the World Economic Forum.  See the story.  USTR Portman is playing the Fast Track card, and saying that the ball is in the EU court.

The New Republic has a story about Wolfowitz' confrontation with the government of Chad: "WHY LIBERALS SHOULD BE APPLAUDING WOLFOWITZ.Bank Statement by Jai Singh    Only at TNR Online | Post date 01.24.06 It's not front-page news, but Paul Wolfowitz is taking on a

This from today's Wall St. Journal: "EU Executive Arm Endorses Labels On 'Humane' Food By MARY JACOBY Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL January 24, 2006; Page A19 BRUSSELS – A special label should be applied to poultry, beef, pork and fish produced by "

The ASIL International Economic Law Group (ASILIELG) has published an announcement of its upcoming conference in Bretton Woods in November, as well as a call for papers.  The topic of the conference will be "The state of practice and service within the field; The direction, methods and relevance of

The World Bank Trade group has published a new collection of papers entitled Poverty and the WTO.  This work may be responsive to some of the questions raised in the debate between RSquared and Aaron Cosby below.  I would suggest that, at least in a sense, both are right.  The